More families with children seek food aid in Finland — YLE News
The number of families with children standing in lines for food aid has increased noticeably in Finland’s capital region. This is reported by YLE News, citing the Stadin safka initiative, jointly run by the City of Helsinki and the Helsinki Parish Union.
Anni Heinälä, head of food aid at Stadin safka, linked the growing demand to government cuts to social benefits. According to her, some distribution points may receive several hundred visitors. Previously, most people in such lines were pensioners and the long-term unemployed, but now foreign students, immigrants, laid-off workers, unemployed people and low-income earners are also increasingly in need of assistance.
Demand is growing while food supplies are shrinking
At the same time, the amount of food available for distribution is declining. Stores are increasingly selling goods at discounts to reduce food waste, meaning fewer products are donated to initiatives such as Stadin safka. As a result, some distribution points have ceased operations, including a centre in the Myllypuro district in eastern Helsinki.
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YLE visited a food aid point at St. Andrew’s Church in central Helsinki, run by the Finnish Evangelical Free Church. Distribution there takes place from 14:00 to 17:00, but people begin lining up in the morning. The point’s head, Bo Ekman, said that the effects of child poverty are clearly visible: some children who previously came for aid stopped doing so after being bullied at school. According to him, this is why single mothers often stand in the lines alone.
Assessment by THL and researchers
Last year, the THL health authority reported that cuts to social benefits are pushing twice as many families with children into poverty as had previously been estimated. Maija Jäppinen, a lecturer in social work at the University of Helsinki, said that the country’s poverty situation has deteriorated significantly in recent years and that benefit levels do not guarantee a dignified life. She also linked the growing need for food aid to the combined effect of government cuts.
